I plan on dedicating one post at least to the food here as a culture, but while I am waiting for Simona to pick me up, I wanted to let you know about the food here at the House of Angels. I think in all of Romania, you would not be able to find better food or nutrition for the children. They eat fish, and chicken and pork and potatoes and fresh vegetables and with lunch they always have soup and another meal.

At any given time they are feeding up to 35 or so children each day. Our schools in America cannot come close or touch how absolutely delicious and fresh this food is here at the HOA. When the volunteers eat here, they eat typically the same things as the children. There is one cook here and she has a little help in the kitchen, but she’s an amazing cook.

The children eat fresh eggs, fresh meat and fresh vegetables bought from the market. They have fresh bread each day. There are soups and some rice and pasta and wonderful dishes. They snack on fresh fruit.

The great thing about the food here is that it is are minus the chemicals and food colorings and dyes that Americans like to preserve and beautify their foods with. Let’s face it, us Americans love to junk up our kids. I’ve been very careful with mine though, I know as I’m gone they are taking full advantage of the fast food places! Since my children came to me in full nutritional deficiency, I’ve become a post adoption feeding expert of sorts.

Since this blog was started as a food blog (more on that later) nutrition and food has become important to me. Since the day we opened House of Angels, these children inside these doors have gained weight, and thrived and grown consistently. This is the only consistent thing in some of their lives and so very important. Their lives depend on it. This is why some of the children who seem to be so sick they should have died, are alive.

This most excellent nutrition has provided the ability for the children to grow properly and develop the brain in the best way. This facility has fed hundreds of children over the year and it always has had excellent nutritional results. The children are always on a customized and balanced feeding program with fortified foods rich in natural vitamins and minerals.

Being the most vulnerable of the population the at-risk of abandonment children and the orphans usually have nutritional deficits in this country. It is usually expected those deficiencies are severely magnified managed care facilities. So depending on where the child started or currently resides, their nutrition is a key factor in their development. I have seen first hand how the nutritional deficiencies in a child’s early life can affect the brain development and cause delays in growth and many other medical conditions caused from malnutrition such as anemia, bone growth, eyesight and rickets.

You will not ever see nutritional deficiencies caused here at the House of Angels. We’ve been combating these problems and winning each and every year the House of Angels has been open! I’m proud to say that we’ve fed some of the neediest children and the most wonderful volunteers and had fabulous results.

The state care facilities are less lucky and do not feed the children well. You can tell immediately the difference in the children the HOA has fed for a year and the new children. But the new children have started to thrive and grow so fast. It is amazing what a good healthy diet can accomplish!